RESCUE IN TIBET
Relief supplies including clothes, food and medicine, are being sent to Tibet following the Nepal earthquake, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs Sunday.
The central government allocated 5,000 thick tents, 30,000 cotton coats, 30,000 comforters, 15,000 foldable beds and 15,000 sleeping bags to the affected areas in Tibet. The regional government has also sent tents, coats, food, medicines and drinking water there.
Infrastructure in the southwestern part of Tibet was seriously affected by the Nepal quake and two lesser quakes that hit the area later. Thousands of houses collapsed and communication base stations were damaged.
The Ministry of Public Security warned on Sunday that the highway linking Xigaze, a major Tibet city, and Zham Pass, the border port to Nepal, has been cut by landslides.
The ministry urged concerned citizens not to drive there themselves to deliver relief supplies. It should be the first priority to allow professional rescue teams and supplies to reach the affected area by road, the ministry statement said.
The Tibet Military Area Command has dispatched more than 1,100 troops and medical staff to the quake zone. More than 100 injured had received treatment and about 2.500 people were relocated as of 10 p.m. Sunday.
Three medical teams from neighboring Sichuan, Chongqing and Yunnan have gone to Tibet, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Tibet's health department has sent about 60 medical staff and ten ambulances to the affected areas.
Rescuers are braving heavy snow and rain to reach the affected area, and their efforts are hampered by severe landslides on the road to Nyalam.
Snow will persist in Tibet till Monday, adding extra pressure to the rescue work, according to a forecast by the National Meteorological Center.
AIR ROUTE FOR LIFE
China is organizing its three airliner giants to bring home 683 Chinese tourists who were stranded in Nepal following Saturday's earthquake, according to the China National Tourism Administration.
Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern have dispatched aircraft to Nepal and were expected to bring back more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign tourists on Sunday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Nepal have launched emergency response mechanism to help with the Chinese nationals who have been injured in the disaster and deal with the aftermath of the deceased.
